Tag Archives: New England

Utilizing all the 21st Century resources at my disposal, (well, at least all the ones I have figured out how to use so far) I queried the twitteratti to obtain restaurant recommendations for my recent trip to New England.

Responses received were logged and subsequently googled: Mystic Pizza (no-brainer but received poor feedback from reviews), Margarita’s (a chain, oh no!), a place too far out of my way, and Paul’s Pasta Shop.

Paul and Dorothy Fidrych make their own pasta. You can buy uncooked pasta in a variety of shapes, you can order take-out, or you can dine in the home-turned-restaurant or even on the deck overlooking the Thames River and New London, CT on the other side.

Rachel Ray visited Noah’s and a couple places in Mystic on “$40 a Day”. They also received a positive review from the New York Times, albeit years ago. On the way to New England, we began listening to “Garlic and Sapphires” on audiobook – an account written by a former NY Times critic, Ruth Reichl, about her life as a critic in disguise. Therefore, the Times review meant a lot to me and it’s no secret that I am a huge Rachel fan.

Noah’s is located in Stonington, a nearby town east of Mystic. In fact, Stonington was the setting for much of the Mystic Pizza filming.

Founded in 1754, this Inn was home to sea Captain Daniel Packer and his guests awaiting passage across Mystic River while traveling between New York and Boston. As the wide, dark wooden floor boards creak when you are led to your table, you can almost feel the history in this structure.

One of our evenings in Mystic, Connecticut found us at an Inn on a hillside overlooking Mystic Harbor and the Amtrak station. The Inn at Mystic offers a beautiful view and the Flood Tide restaurant.

We were seated at a prime table in front of a bank of windows. Even though it was dark oustide, you could see twinkling lights and reflections of the lights in the water.

The restaurant’s website states they use local seafood, organic, local fruits and vegetables and meats and shellfish which are free from hormones and antibiotics whenever possible.

Still on the clam chowder bender, I knew Ron would be sampling Flood Tide’s “award-winning” concoction. They must have chowder contests all year around in the Mystic area because every restaurant we patronize claims to hold a chowder title of some sort. Well, except Rice Spice Noodles! No clam chowder on that menu- which is where I enjoyed lunch earlier this day.

(Note: I had to skip Day 5- I’ll post the review of Noah’s Fine Food in Stonington, CT soon…after I get the photos off Ron’s iPhone.)

West Virginians, we have so many thngs to be thankful for in the Mountain State…one of them is our liquor laws. I used to complain about having to wait until 1:00 in Sunday to buy alcohol at Kroger since I was already there to get lunch meat, milk and several bundles of asparagus. I won’t complain about that anymore (let’s keep it real: at least for a few weeks) now that I have experienced first-hand the oppressive liquor laws of New England.

In Connecticut and Rhode Island, you have to go to an actual “package” store. Ron wonders why convenience stores even exist if you can’t buy beer there…obviously the only reason he ever crosses the threshold of such an establishment. In Connecticut, you can’t buy alcohol at all on Sunday, except in a restaurant or bar.

Noting on our first day that beer prices in Mystic were just as high as Virginia Beach ($4 – $4.50), Ron asked me to pick up some beer on Sunday while he was in his first class so he could enjoy an icy cold one when his session concluded. I, like the dutiful fiancee I am only some of the time, drove about 10 miles into Rhode Island in search of the elixer.

Given the rainy forecast for tomorrow, today I decide to wander around the streets of Mystic, shopping and snapping photographs.

The outing begins at noon with a meal at Rice Spice Noodles, a contemporary Thai restaurant just outside the Main Street shopping area.

Sparse inside and out, it evokes a minimalist calmness. The “screen” door is covered in a dark gray fabric which surprised my fingertips when I grasped it. The open dining room is full of small black tables, each one adorned with a single brightly-colored gerbera daisy in a small vase.

Walking up and down West Main Street in historic Mystic, Connecticut was making us even hungrier. I haven’t yet made it to the grocery store for snacks and drinks to keep in our room, so we did not eat any sort of breakfast.

There are several restaurants in the historic section and my tourist map pointed out many of them and I announced them to Ron, as if I was a professional tour guide, as we drove around looking for public parking. I also noted that I will have to come back to historic Mystic for some serious shopping while Ron is in his classes this week – there is an array of intriguing specialty shops.

One of many storefronts in the historic buildings that lined the street, Azu Restaurant caught our eye. It looked like it would be small, quaint, and charmingly old inside. Looks can be deceiving.